Breast cancer sucks, and today I am sharing some easy ways we as women can reduce our risk of developing breast cancer (among other cancers). It is the second leading cause of death in American women and is affecting women at a younger age and becoming more virulent. I feel the most important thing we can do is to educate women on what they can do reduce their risk, how to suppress the genetic disposition to breast cancer, and for women who’ve already beat it, how to reduce their risk of recurrence. Most of us probably know the bad habits that increase risk like drinking alcohol daily, smoking, taking prescription medication regularly, and eating processed food/sugar and large amounts of animal products. Instead I want to focus on some steps we can take that may be a little less well known.

​2. Maintaining a BMI of less than 22.8 greatly reduces your risk. Excessive weight, especially stomach fat, acts as estrogen factories. Obese women are more likely to have metastasis and die from breast cancer. Fat also increases inflammatory molecules which fosters growth and spreading of tumors.